Recently, a deepfake incident in Tollywood sparked concern across the film industry, with top actors including Chiranjeevi, Jr NTR and Vijay Deverakonda raising their voices against the misuse of AI. Chiranjeevi said he would speak to film bodies, associations and government officials about forming a committee to address and remove morphed content. Amid the growing concern, MAA president Vishnu Manchu has spoken out about the disturbing incident and called for a permanent mechanism to tackle the issue.
Calling the incident a warning to the industry, Vishnu Manchu urged the Telugu film industry to create a system to address AI deepfakes, impersonation and coordinated online campaigns. “The disturbing AI deepfake incident that has rightly angered our industry should not be looked at as an isolated incident. It is a warning,” said Vishnu Manchu in a social media post.
Referring to Ram Pothineni’s comments about online anonymity, he added, “They’re faceless, so they’re fearless.” Manchu said Pothineni’s suggestion of Aadhaar-linked accountability for online identities “deserves serious discussion.”
“Freedom of expression must always be protected. But anonymity cannot become a weapon to abuse, defame, sexually violate or deliberately destroy someone,” he wrote.
Vishnu also expanded his concerns beyond deepfakes and spoke about what he described as organised and targeted negativity against films, actors and filmmakers within the industry.
“For quite some time, I have been concerned about organised and targeted negativity against films, actors and filmmakers within our own industry. A film should succeed or fail because audiences watch it and decide. Criticism, reviews, trolling and disagreement are part of cinema today. But a coordinated campaign to damage a film before audiences have even seen it is not criticism. It is sabotage,” he wrote.
Referring to Sundeep Kishan and The Paradise, Vishnu said, “Sundeep Kishan recently spoke publicly about targeted, paid negativity against him and his film even before its release. The Paradise had to approach a court before release seeking protection against defamatory and damaging content.”
He further stated, “Behind every film are years of work, hundreds of families and producers risking enormous amounts of money.”
Urging audiences to make their own decisions about films, Vishnu said, “Watch the film. Love it. Hate it. Criticise it brutally if you genuinely feel that way. But first, let the film release.”
He also raised concerns about fan groups fighting against each other, anonymous pages pretending to be neutral, and social media accounts using actors’ photographs as their display pictures while posting content or behaving in ways those actors may not endorse.
As MAA president, Vishnu said the association is taking steps to identify accounts and networks involved in such activities.
“MAA is compiling information on accounts and networks repeatedly involved in targeted abuse and malicious campaigns, including accounts misusing actors’ photographs and identities to mislead people. This is NOT about stopping criticism. It is about accountability,” he added.
Vishnu also called for a meeting involving all major film bodies, including the Telugu Film Chamber, Producers Council, MAA and other stakeholders, to create a permanent industry-wide mechanism.
“Not another meeting that ends with a photograph. Not another phone call. A system,” he said.
“We may compete every Friday. But we cannot spend the rest of the week trying to destroy one another. Let audiences decide the fate of our films. Let cinema win,” he added.